Thirunelli MahaVishnu Temple is one of the oldest and sacred shrines in Kerala. ‘Thiru Nelli’ literally means Holy Gooseberry tree (Amla). According to ancient Hindu scriptures or puranas, Lord Brahma got attracted by the beauty of this valley and descended here. He noticed an idol of Lord Vishnu on a gooseberry tree. Realizing the presence of Lord Vishnu, he installed the idol there and blessed the temple to be the one that washes of all the sins. Hence the water stream here got the name Papanasini. Situated in Wayanad district of Kerala, Thirunelli temple is surrounded by incredibly green mountains of Brahmagiri ranges adjoining Western Ghats. Thirunelli is Located in north Wayanad, 34 Km away from Mananthavady. The exact age of this temple is not known. According to historians, the temple could be 3000 years old what makes it one of the oldest temples in Kerala. It is also believed that Chera King Kulasekharan (AD 767 – 834) was the founder of this temple. Copper plate inscriptions discovered from the area date back to the period of Bhaskara Ravi Varma I and II (10th and 11th century). Remains of the original temple is still visible around the premises. Some of […]

The breath-taking view of Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes Kunthiana), a legendary purple-blue coloured flower which blooms once in 12 years on the hill ranges of Munnar in Kerala. After the last flowering that occurred in 2006, another mass flowering in the Nilgiris-Palanis-Munnar belt can be expected only in 2018. Strangely enough there was a group of plants in the locality whose flowering cycle was four years ahead of the rest of the community in the region and I was lucky to capture this rare occurrence in Oct 2014 . However, one could not be sure whether these plants would survive for the next season. It is believed that Nilgiri Hills, which literally means “blue mountains”, was named after the Neelakurinji flowers. Interestingly, the people of Paliyan tribes who lived here used to calculate their age based on the blossoming cycle of these flowers.